Chuck Meyer On A Utah Elk Hunt

Published: December - 1999

Subscriber Chuck L. Meyer is very happy with a bull elk hunt in southwestern Utah handled for him this past September by Paul Fife of Extreme Bulls Guide Service. He writes, "I had a superb elk hunt this past September in Utah on one of those any-weapon, limited-entry bull elk hunts; mine was in the Mount Dutton area, unit 24. There were only two out-of-state permits and 19 resident permits issued for this unit. Shortly after I was drawn, I received information from a couple of outfitters/guides advertising their services. I decided on Extreme Bulls Guide Service, a small operation run by Paul Fife. Fife and another guide who works for him are, to my knowledge, Extreme Bulls' only guides. Fife was very familiar with the unit where he guided me. During the same period I was hunting, his associate guided another hunter to a 380-point (gross) bull in an area adjacent to Mt. Dutton.

Fife provides a basic in-the-field, one-on-one guide service but offers no amenities such as horses, camp, food or transportation. I stayed in my own travel trailer in a park about 14 miles from the hunting area, used my truck for transportation and cooked my own meals in the trailer - none of this was a problem. For his guide service, Fife charges $700 for up to a five-day, 1 x 1 hunt, plus a trophy fee that ranges from $200 to $800 depending on the horn size of the animal taken. An animal measuring 360 inches or more costs $800. My trophy fee cost turned out to be $500, which was actually a bit low because Fife underestimated the size of the elk I shot. The bull ultimately measured 53.5 inches x 54.25 inches and had a 44-inch inside spread. It grossed 375.75 inches, and netted 359.75 B & C.

As for the hunt itself, it was exciting. The first day out I missed a shot at a large six-pointer about 100 yards away. He was in a herd with a five point and about 15 cows. Later that day, we saw another big........(continued)